The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) were sued for contempt, but the federal government says it would no longer pursue the case.
On July 26, NLC gave the federal government a seven-day deadline to change all “anti-poor” and “insensitive” regulations.
The recent spike in gasoline prices and the unexpected rise in public school tuition are only two examples of the policies cited by the union.
If the government did not heed the demands of the labor groups, they threatened to strike and hold large-scale rallies.
The federal government claimed that the unions were prohibited from taking any industrial action in response to the elimination of the gasoline subsidy by a national industrial court order.
The injunction, according to the government, forbade the NLC and its affiliates from staging rallies across the nation.
Despite the government’s stance, on Wednesday, organized labor organized its members to participate in statewide rallies.
As a result of the unions allegedly disobeying the injunction prohibiting them from engaging in industrial action, the federal government started a contempt case against them.
Form 48, also known as the “notice of consequences of disobedience to order of the court,” was submitted to the national industrial court in Abuja.
Following a meeting between union representatives and President Bola Tinubu at the presidential palace in Abuja on Thursday, the demonstration was subsequently called off.
The protest was later suspended on Thursday after leaders of the unions met with President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa, Abuja.
In a letter addressed to Femi Falana, NLC counsel, on Monday, Beatrice Jedy-Agba, solicitor-general of the federation, said the protests “led to disruption of work and the eventual pulling down of the gate of the national assembly”.
“The foregoing prompted the ministry to initiate contempt proceedings by filing Form 48 on the same 2nd August 2023 in accordance with section 72 of the Sheriffs and civil process act and order 9 rule 13 of the judgment (enforcement) rules.
“It is trite that issuance of Form 48 is just the starting point in contempt proceedings which will only crystalise upon the issuance of Form 49 and the consequential committal order.
“Upon the intervention of his excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the decision of the labour unions to call off their industrial action after meetings with the president and leadership of the national assembly, this ministry did not proceed further with the contempt proceedings, which would have required the issuance of Form 49 within two days of the issuance of Form 48.
“It is self-evident that the non-issuance of Form 49 as of 4th August 2023, renders the contempt proceedings inchoate.”